Hunters and others engaged in various outdoor activities often stand or sit outdoors in a relatively confined location. For example, a hunter may stand alongside a tree near a location where deer or other game may appear. The tree provides natural cover for the hunter, and in many cases the hunter is elevated above the ground in a platform or tree stand supported by a suitable tree. The hunter in these situations remains relatively exposed to rain in inclement weather, and may also lack any significant shade during hot, sunny days. The tree itself usually is poor protection from the elements, particularly in a hard rain or prolonged drizzle where the tree leaves become thoroughly soaked and rain penetrates whatever natural canopy those leaves provide. Moreover, most seasonal hunting takes place in the fall of the year, a time when deciduous trees have shed their leaves. Thus, a hunter positioned beneath those trees, or on a tree stand mounted therein, can count on getting wet during rainy days and may receive little natural shade during sunny days.
Any portable awning suitable for practical use by a hunter or other person outdoors must be relatively lightweight and easily carryable, preferably by one person. A hunter, for example, is already burdened by carrying a gun, a tree stand, and ammunition and other supplies for the day; any awning or other personal shelter device should therefore not add significant weight to the burden, and should readily fold or collapse to a package easily managed by one person hiking through forest or other rough terrain. Moreover, a practical individual shelter or awning should quickly and easily be mountable to trees of various sizes by a single individual, preferably without using nails or other fasteners embedded into the tree and without rquiring tools for the purpose. The portable awning should offer a degree of adjustability for optimizing water run-off during rainy conditions and maximizing the shade available to the user during sunny weather.
Portable shelter devices are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,707 discloses a portable roof somewhat in the nature of an umbrella adapted for fastening to a tree trunk. U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,286 discloses another kind of portable shelter intended for temporary or permanent attachment to a tree trunk. Each of these prior-art shelters is not readily adjustable once positioned on a tree, and neither device has found substantial application.